The Heart of Murder
by sjakim
Summary: Jin has finally returned to his home world, but is faced with a deadly murderer. Additionally, Jin finds out that he's not who he once thought he was according to his new enemy.
1. Upon Falling from Heaven

**Chapter I - Upon Falling From Heaven**

On a clear spring day, a strange opening in the sky caused a massive explosion that shook the region. A portal ripped open in the sky and launched a body out that was Jin. He realized as he shot towards the earth that he was in the sky. Gravity pulled him down hard: so hard that weakly gathered water molecules disappeared as he crashed onto them. The boy tried to cast a spell to prevent a hard collision with the ground below, but the strain he felt in his trip through the portal prohibited anything. So, he prepared for the worst and allowed his body to take a beating as he bounced off tree branches and other greens. Finally, the boy rested but not without damage.

"Ah…" the boy gasped. "That hurts…" He raised his left arm and saw blood pouring out. Cuts were all over his body and his clothes were drenched in mud. Ignoring the pain, the boy looked up into the sky and wondered if Foley (1) had made it back safely from the Other World.

"Hmm, nope, I don't feel his presence."

The damage began to take its toll, but he bore it silently. His sword was still in its sheath, hardly scratched despite the hard fall. Then, Jin wondered if someone would help him. No, he was probably the only human around the isolated area. He did hear the waves crashing on the rocky shore not so far away, but could not determine from which direction they were coming. With any luck, no monster in the area would ambush him in his weakened state. He tried to resist sleep, but a mixture of fatigue, injury and humidity caused his slumber to overcome him.

In his sleep, he dreamed about his earlier adventures with his comrades from two years prior. Faces of his friends came and went; a blur for everyone but Tessa (2), the noble white mage from the world capital Alfidaria. It was something about her that he missed dearly and her image stuck in his mind for some time. However, the dream ended when somebody in his surroundings stepped on a twig, snapping it and causing Jin to waken.

Without a word, Jin opened his eyes and saw a figure before him. The silhouette reached down towards Jin's forehead and noticed a fever. Jin thought to himself, 'A medic?' It put something in his mouth, which caused Jin to sleep once again. It ran back to whence it came and returned with reinforcements. They carried Jin back to a village.

The next morning, Jin awoke under the bright sunlight. Birds sang cheerfully and the villagers were rounding their morning affairs, sounding rather pleased with their lives. Jin got up from his bed and tried to look around. He felt lightheaded. He thought that it must be because of the difference in the atmosphere between his and the other world. Then, a voice sounded from nearby.

"No, you mustn't!"

It was a girl's voice and before Jin was able to look straight ahead, the girl rushed up to him and carefully placed him back down on the bed. Jin was on his back again and finally caught a glimpse of the girl. She had old clothes, or more like rags, on and looked like a servant. She had clear blue eyes and long brown hair and a calm look on her face. Nothing about her had a dangerous aura and her serene ambiance made Jin relax. Without a word, the girl wiped the sweat off Jin's face and hummed to herself.

Jin turned his head to his left and saw the features in the room: compact, clean and undecorated. He located his weapon of choice by the window adjacent to the bed. Then the girl's voice pleaded again:

"Please, stop moving. You're hurt so please, stay still."

She placed her cold, smooth hands on Jin's shoulder and released all his tension. For a few minutes, she left her hand on him as if she was reading his magical circulation. Jin was sure she was a white mage specialized for quick healing, like Tessa. Then, with an urge to break the silence, Jin asked the girl for her name.

"Ah, my apologies," the girl answered. "My name is Rena. I have no family name and work for the village mayor, Hirou Marco-sama."

"So you're a…" Jin tried to speak.

"Yes, a servant," she interrupted. It wasn't what he wanted to ask, however. "And I am also your caretaker, so whatever you need…"

Jin saw her having a hard time finding the word to say, but he took a guess and tried to fill in the blank.

"It's Jin. Just Jin is fine."

"Ah, yes," she remarked. "My apologies, Jin-sama. I am bad with names but I promise to learn yours right away."

"No, no, it's fine. But thank you for taking care of my wounds."

"No, Jin-sama, it's an honor for the one who fell from the heavens."


	2. Peaceful Repose

**Chapter II – Peaceful Repose**

"W-what?" Jin stuttered. "Fell from the heavens?"

Without a word, Rena nodded resumed her humming.

"What could this mean?" he asked himself. It was a mystery on its own, and all he ever wanted was to come back to his home world and reunite with his friends. Rena tended to Jin's wounds while he shrugged off the nonsense he had just heard.

A day passed and Jin recovered most of his strength. He was granted permission to look around the village but only with Rena at his side. Rena acted as the tour guide, but seeing how small the village was, it didn't seem like it was necessary. Jin watched as people stared at the possible divine hero they kept mumbling about. It made Jin feel all but comfortable. But then came from behind a strong voice that calmed the entire ruckus.

"People, people! Stop staring and go back to your routines! Do not be rude to our guest!" declared the mayor. He then turned his attention towards Jin. "How do you do, kid? You feeling alright, son?"

Jin cleared his throat before answering.

"Yes, thanks to your courtesy."

"Nah, it's not a big deal," the mayor said as he patted Jin on the back. "Rena, prepare dinner for our guest and right away."

"Y-yes sir!"

Rena bowed twice and immediately headed back for the main house.

"Now, son," the mayor continued as he strolled alongside Jin. "Is there anything we can do?"

Jin thought for a second.

"No, not really. But I would like to look around and enjoy the fresh air."

"Is that all?"

"Yes, that's all."

"Alright, kid. Then feel free to do so, but don't cause trouble, 'kay?"

The mayor, massive in structure, was built like a true leader. He was charismatic, open-minded and powerful. Jin felt plenty of power flowing out from the mayor. Before Jin could say another word, the villager leader excused himself and marched back to check upon Rena at the main house.

As Jin watched the happenings of the village, he surely felt it was his home world: no major gravity effect or magic limitations. The children that were running around and playing were like soldiers in training. Each wielded a wooden stick and pretended to play war. The elders carefully harvested their crops while the strong and able men protected the village from any harm. Time passed quickly, and Jin was called in for dinner. And soon after that, night fell, ending yet another quiet day in the village.

That night, Jin went out to do some training. Just as he had to adapt to the atmosphere in the other world, he needed to relearn to control his powers in his own world. After re-mastering his basic elemental spells, he started to swing his sword as if in combat and tried to get back into the groove.

"Now, let's try this."

Jin unleashed a ray of energy around him and under his control, shattered his energy like glass. Then he swung his sword, the Rainbow, and sent the shards of energy flying in every which direction.

"Phew, that worked out well," he congratulated himself. That attack he performed is what Jin calls it the Energy Glass, one of his favorite overdrives. However, Jin stumbled a bit after the overdrive but regained balance just as he heard somebody clapping behind him.

"That was amazing!" Rena exclaimed.

Taken aback by her sudden appearance, Jin modestly thanked her.

"Please, continue," Rena pleaded.

But Jin somehow felt embarrassed by her presence. Instead, Jin made an excuse to go back inside and rest for the night. Rena was slightly disappointed, but gladly went with him.

The next day, Jin relaxed in the village as he conversed with many people, especially the vivacious children. He told his past adventures to the children (of course, with minor exaggerations) and willingly showed some of his magic to entertain them. It was something new and exciting for them, and they eagerly wanted to learn how to cast magic.

"Can you please teach us? Pretty please?" they would beg.

"Haha," Jin enjoyed the young audience. "Maybe another day, okay?"

"Promise?"

"I promise."

Then a voice came from behind.

"Jin-sama?" Rena called.

Jin turned around and saw Rena carrying a basket of dried clothes. "It's time to take a bath."

"Ah, geez, since when did I have to take a bath?" Jin whined.

"But you're going to smell!" the children teased.

Jin retaliated with playful gestures and was finally dragged to the bathhouse by Rena. There, she offered to wash his back and forced herself upon him.

"Hey, I can do it myself!" shouted a flustered Jin.

"No, no, I want to do it…"

Despite all the struggles, Jin ended up being sparkling clean thanks to Rena's scrutiny. A girl like Rena would probably outmatch Jin in a pure physical fight because of her daily work schedule. She did not seem to mind her everyday labor and took delight in making the mayor, and Jin, happy.


	3. Just the Two of Them

**Chapter III – Just The Two Of Them**

After the bath, Jin put on his new set of clothes and went out for some fresh air outside the mayor's manor. There, he saw Rena hanging up the last batch of laundry. Jin took this opportunity to talk to Rena and thank her for all that she has done for him.

"Rena!" Jin called out.

"Oh! Good evening, Jin-sama," she smiled. "Is there something you need?"

"No, nothing at all. I just wanted to talk to you, and say how thankful I am."

Rena struggled to find the words to say. She looked up at Jin who stood under the mysterious moonlight. She watched him smile and give off that glimmer that nearly made her blush.

"There's no need to thank me," she said with a wide smile. "I'm just glad I can be of service to you."

"Ah, don't say that. And you don't have to refer to me with honorifics. Treat me as a friend."

"But that would be rude, and… Jin-sama!"

Jin reached down for the last piece of clothing in the basket and hung it up by the other drying clothes. Rena watched him complete her chore reluctantly. Jin then gave Rena the thumbs up to signal that they were done with their chores. She giggled softly and grabbed Jin's hands to get his attention.

"Well then, as a friend, would you like to take a walk with me?"

Jin and Rena walked side by side under the beautiful night sky and were showered by the stars' light. The servant girl watched the night sky with an abundance of joy and cried out to Jin to watch them with her. She spun in circles and laughed, as if she was a little girl dancing under the moonlight. It was the first time he watched her laugh naturally and saw this as a rare occurrence.

"Jin-sama!" she called. "Please, come sit here with me."

He strolled over to her and sat to her left.

"It's beautiful tonight," she remarked.

"Yeah, it is," Jin said with satisfaction.

"It's even better that you're here," she continued. Jin gave her the curious eye but said nothing.

"Jin-sama?"

"Yeah, what's up?"

"How does it feel to be in love?"

It was something he didn't know much about. Whether he felt it or not at point, he wasn't sure. But he tried his best to answer.

"Well, you feel happy and safe and feel like you can do anything with that person. Like, you feel stronger… yeah, I think love is the strongest spell in the world, if you put it in terms of battle. Heh, sorry, I'm not really good at explaining this…"

Rena put her head on Jin's shoulder.

"No, I understand everything you said. It makes perfect sense to me."

"But Rena, why do you ask?"

Jin's shoulder felt lighter as she raised her head and turned to face him.

"To tell you the truth, I don't know this feeling called love."

Jin looked at her strangely and started to laugh.

"It's… it's not funny, Jin-sama!" she yelled.

"Ha-ha, but you know, you say you don't know how it feels and yet," Jin calmed himself, "you show a lot of it to the villagers. The things you do for them, the way you talk to them and all that stuff, that's showing love."

"I-I guess," she quietly replied.

A hiatus of silence came. Jin and Rena both said nothing and gazed at the eternity of the starry sky. Rena seemed troubled by Jin's explanation of love and just to be sure of something, she had to ask a sensitive question.

"Do you… have someone you love?"

Jin couldn't find the words to say. He remembered the last set of words Tessa had said two years ago. But he treated her so cruelly before his sudden disappearance. Jin's feelings for her, he could not comprehend. Was it love? Was it just imagination? He didn't know, but words flowed out randomly, loud enough for Rena to hear it.

"I-I see…" Rena answered.

Then with quickness, Rena stood up and offered her hand to him.

"Let's go back, Jin-sama!" she said with sudden joy.


	4. The Village Guardian

**Chapter IV – The Village Guardian**

The next night, the town gathered for a group dinner, led by the mayor himself.

"Tonight, we feast on behalf of our guest, Jin," declared the mayor.

After a toast, people helped themselves and ate wholeheartedly under the clear night sky. As soon as everyone finished eating, several people stayed to tell stories. One man dared to tell a frightening myth that intimidated most of the villagers. The children would joke about it but the adults took it rather seriously. Jin was intrigued but before the man could start telling the tale, Rena went home and did not return to the site that night. The mayor was also not around, and was probably in his room reading. The man started.

"A long time ago, a married couple lived happily in this very village. However, one night, the woman found her husband cheating on her with a very lusty woman, who came from the outer world. The wife, shocked by what she had seen, fainted and died without notice. But she left a heavy grudge on the living world and is said to haunt this village every full moon."

Jin took a second to look up into the night sky. And as he had guessed, the full moon shone. The storyteller continued.

"Ever since she died, she is said to have turned into a spirit that kills whenever there is a full moon. Men, women, children, whoever it was, she would kill just for her pleasure of killing. Many of the deaths were said to be of unknown causes and even to this day, no one is sure who or what caused it."

Chills ran down Jin's spine as the tale somehow made him flinch. The villagers, despite hearing the tale time after time, shook at the thought of the spirit haunting them. They caused so much commotion that the storyteller never finished telling it to its completion.

"But this is just a myth, right?" asked Jin through the voices.

The frightened villagers became quiet and did not answer. They feared the worst with the full moon shining down on the isolated village. At this point, Jin gave up being the least bit scared and got up from his sitting position.

"This is ridiculous," he remarked as he started to head back to his room. "Thanks for the ghost tale but I'm not buying it."

Then suddenly, a group of pale elders crawled up to Jin like a bunch of beggars.

"But it's true! We saw it with our own eyes!" they exclaimed. "It was horrible, so horrible that…!"

Jin couldn't believe the villagers' behavior. It was obvious that some of them who claimed to have seen it were hallucinating. He wanted to believe that a vengeful spirit existed but nothing really clicked in his mind. He just wanted to sleep and not think about having to square off against an enemy he cannot see.

"Alright, alright, I believe you. But I won't believe it until I see it."

"Then I ask you to guard us from the possibility of a spirit coming," begged one middle-aged woman.

"Till when?"

"Until the end of the full moon's duration," answered the storyteller. "That is, another 4 days."

Jin stood a bit uninterested with the offer. He was surprised that they even survived the past few days of the full moon. Then, with much reluctance, he accepted the guardian job. The storyteller then rose and stood next to Jin. He only reached Jin's chin but his firm hands palmed the boy's shoulder without trouble.

"Listen, boy and listen good. The spirit is no easy foe even for a warrior like you. The best way to fight it, I believe, is to…"

Suddenly, a loud scream came from the direction of the mayor's house. Immediately, Jin rushed to the scene with three healthy leaps from the dinner site to the house. He slammed the door open to witness a man covered in blood. That man was Marco, the mayor. He dropped dead and revealed Rena drenched with the mayor's blood behind where he stood. She let out another shriek as blood continued to gush out of the mayor's corpse. The rest of the villagers finally arrived at the scene and gasped at the horrendous sight. Two, maybe three women fainted and were hastily carried to their beds. As for the rest of the villagers, they all looked at Jin as their only hope of survival. Jin had seen what he was sure to be just a myth.


	5. Ghost Hunt

**Chapter V – Ghost Hunt**

All throughout the night, the villagers dared not to sleep. With the thought of being killed in their minds, they huddled together and had their medium perform some type of enchantment to keep the spirit at bay. Meanwhile, Jin investigated the murder scene and tried to calm Rena down. She trembled with fear and said nothing.

One of the villagers suspected Rena of being the killer, but another reassured him that the mayor was merely protecting his servant. The problem was why would a master save his servant? It did not make sense. Something was not right and Jin knew that this was no ordinary case. At one point, Jin did think it was Rena but based on her kind and gentle personality, that was a not a possibility. Still, he needed to keep an eye on her.

Night finally passed and the morning was a gloomy one. The sun did not shine on the village and the gray clouds blocked all signs from heaven. After finding no inkling as to what actually caused the mayor's brutal murder, Jin buried the mayor just outside the village wall and asked the still fearful villagers to pay their respects to their humble, charismatic leader. Then quickly, the people scampered back into their corners and prayed for sunshine. It was darkness they feared the most.

Another day has passed and the isolated civilization was dead silent. The medium still summoned anti-spiritual barriers while Jin made sure his Rainbow was ready to strike. He also kept Rena within his sight. Jin proceeded to make a strategy in case he came face to face with the unknown enemy. He knew that a physical attack may not be effective so he saved his strength to use special abilities, cast magic or even summon the great lightning serpent-bird, Quetzalcoatl. But first things first, Jin needed to locate the grudging spirit.

Night came and went rather slowly and the medium was reaching her limit. At last, she collapsed and the barrier disappeared. But Jin, despite being drowsy and slightly clumsy, stepped in her place and summoned his partner. A great clap of thunder startled the villagers, and they gazed at the beast that came down with volts of electricity. The creature hid its head and body in its massive feathered wings and after releasing a super electric shockwave across the sky, it spread its wings and cried out. Jin called out to it and ordered his summoned beast to protect the villagers.

"Protect the villagers with your power for as long as you can."

The lightning serpent-bird hesitated to obey its master's order. It flapped its wings and jolts of electricity sparked.

"If you're worried about me, then worry about these people first," Jin assured his partner. "Do as I say; I'll be fine."

Within a heartbeat, Quetzalcoatl released another shockwave, but this time, creating a barrier around the perimeter of the village. Then it flew up into the sky and oversaw the village from above.

The people were put at ease while the medium rested and the lightning serpent-bird soared in the sky. However, Jin told them he cannot keep Quetzalcoatl out in the open for too long and after several hours, nearing nightfall, the beast retreated back into its slumber. The electric barrier disappeared and the medium was put back to work. But that night, something terrible happened. Just as the medium finished chanting her barrier, a shower of blood fell in the direction of the storage room. Upon seeing this, Jin dashed towards the room and saw seven corpses lying there lifeless. But before he can act on this, his lack of stamina caused him to faint. The villagers did nothing to keep Jin safe, fearing that the spirit may appear.

Next morning, Jin found himself lying comfortably on Rena's bed with Rena sitting besides him, quivering. Upon noticing his awakening, she turned towards him and spoke with a ghastly tone.

"It was horrible, Jin-sama, just horrible!"

Jin got up into a sitting position. He leaned forward and focused his eyes on hers.

"Tell me what happened!" demanded Jin.

Rena's facial expression was like that of a scared child, and she trembled and muttered a few words to herself before saying bits of phrases that did not link to one another.

"…body after body… spilt insides… that taste of blood was… I… I…"

"Get a hold of yourself and tell me!"

Rena still looked pale and shook with great magnitude. Her eyes were also discolored and had some red coloring on her fine brown hair. It was as if she was possessed but after Jin's words reached her, she came to her senses. He got up and carried Rena to a safer area. But as she was being lifted from her position, a piece of carved wood fell from her hand.

After leaving Rena under the care of the medium, Jin went to search the bloodied area. Fear crept several times but he persisted. He counted seven bodies and was even able to discern who was who. One of them was the storyteller and another two were children who were promised a magic lesson in the future. But Jin knew that these two never had a chance with a lurking translucent stalker waiting to kill.

"Damn you!" Jin cursed the killer. "Why? They…they never had a chance!"

He turned towards the children's grave and apologized.

"I'm sorry I couldn't keep my promise."

Tears fell from his eyes slowly. All seven of them were placed beside the mayor's grave. But just as he finished the burial and reentered the village, he followed a scream from within, indicating that another victim has been chosen. And indeed, another body was found dead; it was the body of the medium. By the way the body appeared, the victim was suffocated swiftly with cloth. This time, Jin did not bother burying the corpse and immediately went on to check upon the remaining survivors. He realized that Rena went missing. The search was reaching a critical point, and there was no time to waste.


	6. Hit and Run

**Chapter VI – Hit And Run**

Searching for the villagers was an easy task. All he had to do was follow the yelling and the rioting on the other side of the village. Something was up and Jin went to investigate the scene.

"You're the killer, aren't you!"

"You must be out of your damn mind!"

"You son of a…"

A large droplet of water fell on the arguing individuals who pointed at one another. It was obvious that these people were getting highly paranoid. Jin tried to stop them with a Water spell but all it did was add to their short fuse. They ganged up on one particular man who seemed almost defenseless. To halt their assaults, Jin got in their way and blocked their attacks with his sword.

"What's going on!" Jin demanded.

"Move out of the way, kid! This guy's history!" one threatened. But with Jin not budging from his position, the angry crowd pushed forward. He struggled against a number of opposing forces while the man behind Jin whimpered and wailed as he grabbed Jin's right leg. He begged for help while crying out, "I'm innocent, I'm innocent!"

Reluctantly, Jin had to break up the fight using a Fire spell. The mob jumped back before the leader of the group explained their actions.

"Kid, this guy's a criminal. There's no doubt he's the one pulling the strings."

Jin looked back at the half bald, long nosed man who was on the verge of tears. He was clinging on to Jin as he was about to die. Jin turned around and kicked away the weak hands around his leg. After a hard stare, Jin kneeled down to reach the crawling man's eye level and, as if he was sympathizing with him, asked him calmly if he is the mastermind behind the mystery.

"No, I say. I'm innocent!" he cried out hysterically. "I don't kill…"

"Liar!" the crowd chanted. "He lies!"

"It's not me, I say! It's…"

Paying close attention to his words, Jin and the rest of the impatient crowd awaited for further explanation. But they did not get any as the man stopped halfway. The mob's leader spoke again and demanded to know who the killer is.

But before the man was able to speak another word, a chain with a hook sounded from afar and rapidly pierced flesh. The confessor coughed up blood and looked down at his bloody torso. Jin, the closest to the victim of a distant assassination, saw blood spurt onto his face and saw the sharp end of the sickle just bits away from striking him. Jin's eyes widened in disbelief and felt the chill of fear crawling up his spine.

Then, the chain retreated and pulled the dying man with it. A concrete building was in the way, and the man met his horrible fate as his head collided with the outer wall. The chain continued to pull away and Jin figured that it would go back to the user of the weapon. He leaped on to the top of the house and followed the chain into the dirt road just outside the village walls. However, he did not see the wielder as the chained sickle continued to glide. The boy continued to track it down and finally, saw the user hidden under a cloak. The individual was riding a Chocobo for a quick escape. Jin ran after the oversized bird but realized he cannot keep up with it by foot. Quickly, he summoned Quetzalcoatl and tried to fly towards the killer.

He caught up to the Chocobo rider but was noticed. Jin tried to halt the Chocobo from going any further by sending forth a shock wave from his blade. But sensing the attack, the cloaked individual countered with the same chained sickle and sent it flying towards Jin, completely negating the wave attack. The Rainbow got caught but Jin used his physical strength to pull the sword and the chain, forcing the ground attacker to fall off the Chocobo and roll on the dirt road. Jin dismissed the lightning serpent-bird and went forth to reveal the so-called spirit. Without struggle from the opposition, Jin took off the hood and saw a familiar face. Stunned by who it was, Jin stepped back several times as the killer got up and greeted Jin with high honors.


	7. Evil in its Pure State

**Chapter VII – Evil In Its Pure State**

"R-Rena?" Jin stood in utter disbelief.

The girl bowed and smiled before the young hero. She still had the innocent look on her face but Jin felt an evil aura surrounding her. It was deception at its best and Jin was speechless.

"But why?" The words just came out of his mouth. "You were nearly a victim and… how? Why?" Jin repeated.

Nothing made sense to him, and he fell to his knees, wondering what was going on. He pounded the ground and closed his eyes. He thought it was just a bad dream but Rena's presence proved that idea wrong. He didn't know what to say and Rena finally snapped the silence.

"Jin-sama, I can imagine how you must feel. But understand that…"

"Understand what!" he interrupted. "Killing innocent people? What for!"

"You wouldn't understand, Jin-sama. Although we are both the same, you have something I don't."

"I don't know what you're talking about. Make some sense here or else…"

"Or else what, sir?" Rena answered nearly mockingly. "Will you draw your sword?"

Not knowing what to do, Jin stood frozen, which allowed Rena to take a step forward. Her gentle steps previously concealed her great powers and now Jin felt them come out ready to kill. In no time, Rena was standing before Jin. She placed her hand on Jin's sweaty face and leaned in to kiss him. Jin flinched and leapt back to put some distance between them.

"Oh, you didn't want one?" Rena complained.

"I… I can't trust you," Jin stuttered.

"But that was just an innocent kiss. Really, it was," she said playfully. "You know, I really like you. I thought I would tell you that before you die."

"What makes you think I'm going to die?" Jin snapped. "Who and what are you to decide my fate? Huh? Answer me!"

It was obvious Jin was driven by fear. His feet refused to move as he willed and his words came out rather clumsily. Rena giggled and removed the cloak completely, and proceeded to answer.

"Because you saw what I did to those frail humans. Such easy prey they were…"

"They were defenseless! How could you be so cold-hearted?"

Rena let out a shrill laughter that freaked Jin. She was becoming scarier and scarier in Jin's eyes. At the same time dark, heavy clouds covered the sun but showed no signs of oncoming rain. Then came an unexpected reply.

"Because, Jin-sama, I have no heart."

The way she said it was cold, like that of a killer. Jin realized what she meant by what he had that she didn't. But what they had in common, he wondered. Before he was able to ask, Rena continued in her ecstatic explanation.

"That's right, no heart. I was modified to have no heart, no feelings. I've played this game of charades for too long, Jin-sama. I wanted to know what it felt to have feelings and love and so on, but no matter how hard I tried I am nothing but a mere vessel: a result of an ugly but ingenious experiment. And like you…"

"What a minute, Rena! What do you mean experiment?"

"You mean, you don't know? You reeeeally don't know?" she chided.

This angered Jin quite a bit. He was sure he knew himself more than anyone, but to hear that someone may know his true identity allowed Jin to put on a battle face. He set himself ready and drew out the Rainbow over his right shoulder. Upon its arrival, the katana's blade let out a blinding rainbow-colored ray that caught Rena off guard. She responded with much fascination, and awaited his attack.

"Like hell, I don't know!" Jin positioned for a charge. "And if I must, I will force it out of you!"

In a blink of an eye, Jin glided towards his former friend and helper, and attempted a lethal slash. But to his dismay, Rena evaded the attack and cartwheel away from Jin, exchanging their original standing locations. Rena stood tall and wiped off the dust on her clothes. Then she spoke again.

"How rude of you, Jin-sama. I was in the middle of explaining things to you, but then you attacked me!"

"Then tell me, what experiment are you talking about? What about us are the same?" Jin demanded, sticking his sword on the ground to ensure that he will not strike.

"Hehe…" she giggled. Then with a wink and a feminine gesture, she cutely remarked, "I won't tell you until you beat me."


	8. Eyes of a Killer

**Chapter VIII – Eyes Of A Killer**

"That does it!"

Jin charged again for a second assault but again missed. This time he tried his three strike combo but none of his three attempts succeeded to even scratch the heartless girl. He immediately went for a Blizzard spell but Rena simply absorbed the attack and giggled at Jin's futile endeavors.

"You can't hit me with those little attacks," she explained. "They are useless against me."

Jin growled and gritted his teeth out of frustration.

"Remember, I read your magic circulation when you were helpless on my lap, and from what I see, my magic level is exceedingly higher than yours."

"That's right, she's been a step ahead of me all along," Jin thought to himself as she continued to boast. "She knows what I am capable of and she's seen me wield my weapon the past few nights."

Rena giggled again and commented how fun the battle has become. The dark atmosphere became darker and clouds rumbled with thunder. Wind started to pick up speed and small dust tornadoes formed between them.

"I can't believe that you were actually able to cast Ultima two years ago. With your magical capability, you can't even cast spells past Level 2, but to be able to cast the forbidden spell… you're really something, Jin-sama."

Jin put on a confused look, lost by such random, ambiguous proclamation Rena had just made. Rena continued.

"Moreover, you're supposed to be capable of greater things and you're suppressing that as well."

Finally, Jin wiped off the sweat on his face and broke out his confused silence.

"Just what the hell are you talking about? You're not making any sense at all!" He said irritably. "Ultima…? I know no such spell."

But Rena didn't seem interested in answering him and frustrated Jin even further. Seeing her reluctance to answer, Jin saw this as a provocation. More or less, he figured she only wanted to see more of Jin's abilities while continuing to toy with him. Despite that, Jin positioned himself to attack. He took his sword out and charged at Rena full speed. Within striking distance, Jin stopped and Rena anticipated a delayed sword swipe. However, as part of Jin's attack, he crouched low and went for a leg sweep. Although Rena tripped, she regained balance using her arms to bounce back up but again fell into Jin's attack plan. Jin then performed a roundhouse kick. Rena tried to block but found herself knocked into the air and open to Jin's aerial assaults, consisting of various close combat techniques using both fist and sword. Then Jin finished his Overdrive with a lethal cross slash down towards the ground. Rena crashed into the ground hard while Jin landed with a successful sword modified Beat Rush. As the dust cleared, Jin awaited Rena's possible recovery. However, when Rena got back on her feet, she didn't seem severely damaged by Jin's fatal Overdrive. She did start to bleed from the head and some of her clothes were torn, but nothing more was done as a result. Jin stood stunned and somewhat overwhelmed by Rena's defenses. She stood tall and had an intriguing look towards Jin.

"I'm impressed, Jin-sama. Your physical combat seems flawless: flawless, but not damaging inflicting."

Rena laughed and wiped off the blood on her face, leaving a smear on the left side of her dirty face.

"Shut up! I'm tired of your voice now, so just shut up!" Jin ordered as he slowly caught his breath. For him, it's been some time since he had such death defying battle, perhaps the first since the tear-driven battle against his mutated sister (3). With the mindset of action speaking louder than words, Jin prepared for another attack. Rena, too, went into attack mode but gave him a small warning.

"Before you do something foolish, I suggest that you use _that_ spell if you even want a chance of defeating me. Otherwise, I think I will kill you with this next attack."

"Thanks, but no thanks. And as for this so-called Ultima spell, I don't even know how to cast it."

Jin charged again and Rena raised her hands to create large fireballs for each hand. She shot them both towards Jin while he tried to cut through. However, at the last second, the fireballs eluded Jin and went straight behind him. Jin stopped in his track and turned to see where the fireballs were heading.

"Damn, the village!" the thought struck him instantly.

Just as he realized her true target, the fireballs hit the village and the screams of defenseless people were heard. Several small explosions boomed as people tried to escape the flames and burning debris. Jin stood helpless, and dropped his guard.

"Jin-sama," Rena called. As Jin turned around to respond to her voice, she stabbed him in the guts with a dagger made of diamonds. "I'm your opponent, remember?"

Jin struggled with the pain and coughed up blood. Rena maintained her position and enjoyed toying with him. The boy raised his head to see the evil he was facing. As he looked up at Rena, he saw eyes that were once beautifully blue, but now were cold and relentless. There it was, indeed, the eyes of a killer.


	9. Secret Revealed

**Chapter IX – Secret Revealed**

Jin fell on to the ground, having endured Rena piercing through his magical barrier around his skin and organs, and sustaining internal damage. Blood poured out rapidly and Jin started to feel drowsy. He was low on magic and did not have enough to put up another barrier to protect his body wholly. He even didn't have enough strength to cast Cure on himself or call his serpent-bird partner. Doubt never came into his mind in the past, but he felt it was definitely over this time as he started to slip away.

Rena stood above the struggling Jin and held the bloody dagger in her hand. She licked the blood off the tip of the blade and kicked Jin on the injured area. Jin yelled in pain before Rena kicked him again to send him rolling a few meters away. Rena followed the trail of blood to look down on Jin again.

"Look at you, the super guardian of the village is dying," she laughed. "Where's your lightning beast? Where's that so-called amazing attack you showed me the other night? And where's your will to fight? Giving up already?"

She continued to mock him as he tried to conjure enough strength to do something. Anything. But he knew that if and when he stood back up, he would not be strong enough to hold his ground. Even if he was able to do anything, he wouldn't be able to do much except take damage and hope not to die. Time was his worst enemy and Rena only made it even deadlier.

"So Jin-sama, ready to die?" she said as she waved her dagger in front of her. "And have you figured out who I am?"

Jin glinted at Rena and struggled to speak.

"As i-i-if I-I'm goin' t-to die…" He coughed up blood again. He picked up the Rainbow nearby with his weaker left hand and gripped it to get up to one knee. "And as for who… you are… you - you're just a killer!"

"Boy, are you good!" Rena laughed heartily. "Yes, I am a killer! And you know why? I am what those sick-minded scientists call a WEAPON (4)."

She strolled back and forth and circled Jin as she continued.

"And there are six WEAPONs in all, and I'm one of them."

"W-WEAPON?" Jin managed to speak. "Six?"

"That's right, six. I, Rena, represent Diamond. Fits me, doesn't it? A girl's best friend and those scientists charmed me by making me a Diamond WEAPON."

"Made… you?" Jin mumbled.

Rena looked at him with an annoyed expression and answered reluctantly.

"You really don't know anything, Jin-sama? These scientists remade the six of us by injecting various experimental cells and proteins. It seems they have succeeded in their experiment but the other five…"

"And w-what about… the other f-five?" he interrupted.

"Heh, like I would know. They all escaped the lab three years ago." She put on a sullen face. "Only I was left behind: alone, naked, lifeless. But they decided to make me stronger and hunt down the other five, so they took away my heart, killed my human emotions, and enhanced my abilities tenfold. And here I am, trying to fulfill my destiny."

She summoned six more fireballs and skillfully had them levitate around her. She was going for the kill this time.


	10. Who He Is

**Chapter X – Who He Is**

Jin watched as the fireballs danced around her in rhythmic fashion. He continued his feeble attempt to get back on both feet but stumbled upon nearly reaching that goal. Rena took her time with her finishing attack and had her fireballs ready in case Jin decided to pull a fast one. She wanted to see Jin suffer a slow, painful death. But Jin had other plans.

"It's not over yet, Rena!" he said with his knees refusing to cooperate with his mind. "I-I can't die yet!"

"How courageous of you, Jin-sama," she replied with a snicker, "but in your condition, you can't do a thing. You can't even speak without coughing up more precious blood. Ha, and to think, you're the one causing your own death by using up so much energy. This is wonderful!"

Jin gripped his sword with both hands this time and somehow stood up with a battle stance. Rena watched in amazement but soon that turned to utter disgust.

"Why don't you stay down, fool!"

She lifted her index finger and aimed one of her fireballs at Jin. Then suddenly, a pale green aura surrounded Jin and nullified the incoming attack completely.

"W-what's going on!" Rena demanded to know. "What is that!"

The pale green aura continued to flow out of Jin's body and healed his open wounds. He was still fatigued from battle, but he felt strong enough to hold his ground for at least another round.

Distraught by Jin's unexpected and improbable recovery, Rena shot her remaining five fireballs at Jin. However, Jin cut through all of them and nullified any damage caused by the explosion with his unknown barrier. Upon taking care of Rena's fireballs, he searched for Rena but could not locate her. Then she ambushed him from above and drew out her diamond dagger. She landed on his shoulder and bent forth to take Jin's heart. Seeing this, Jin avoided the desperate attack by stopping the dagger with his left hand. Despite the pain and blood, Jin threw Rena off his shoulder and charged at her. He was going for the three strike combo again.

"Ha, useless!" she proclaimed. "Learn from your mistakes!"

And like the first time, she avoided all three attacks from the sword. However, the final attack pushed Rena back slightly as a result of Jin's aura. She lost some more clothing on her shoulder but did not remain preoccupied for long, for she knew Jin would come back for more. And he did, going for a Fire spell. He summoned a small flame quicker than usual but Rena countered with her fire ability.

But little did she know, it was just a decoy as Jin dashed in front of Rena and drew out the Rainbow. Again, a ray of light shone but this time, with a green outline. Rena did not know what to expect so she quickly summoned a diamond-like armor around her for protection. However, Jin's new powers allowed him to pierce and penetrate the thick coating; such power allowed Jin to hit flesh and Rena's diamond wall disappeared.

"Impossible!" yelled out the Diamond WEAPON as blood started to come out of her mouth.

"This is it!" Jin said as he unleashed his bided pale green aura, sending Rena in the air and crashing on to the ground. Rena did not escape damage this time as she started to twitch in her place and had a hard time coming to.

Jin walked moved over towards Rena, who was dying at a rapid pace. She coughed up blood and gasped for air. The cut near her left breast was too deep and bled massively. Her magic level decreased significantly and was left virtually helpless. Jin watched her as she struggled to stay conscious and almost felt guilty he had to inflict such damage. Rena weakly motioned for Jin to come to her. She still had some last words before her death and she reached for his face. Jin kneeled down cautiously and listened.

"Jin-sama…" she said. "I've always liked you… Y-you were always kind… to me and…" she gasped for air, "I…"

Rena finally reached the sweaty face of Jin and pulled him down gently so that they met eye to eye.

"I have something… to tell… you… Jin-sama… about your… identity…"

Jin said nothing as he started to feel the effects of overworking his body during the recent battle. Rena moved Jin's head so that she can kiss his cheeks and move towards his left ear. Feeling no more threat coming from her, he dropped his sword and listened intently.

"You… that aura…" she struggled to say. "You are…"


	11. Rediscovery

**Chapter XI – Rediscovery**

Jin buried the Diamond WEAPON named Rena at the site of her death. As for the village, the flame died the instant Rena breathed her last breath. But the damage was done before the battle finale. There were no survivors and nearly nothing remained where the village used to stand. The prosperous adults, the laughing children, the chirping of friendly birds in the village became nothing but mere memories to the island.

Jin had to think to himself, had he not fallen from the portal unprepared, then would the village be spared from much suffering and loss? But it couldn't have been Jin's fault if what his new identity stood true, and if fate decided that Jin and Rena meet and square off. Nonetheless, one of Jin's most horrifying episodes came to a conclusion after those last words from Rena. As he washed his wounds in the isolated region, he took a deep look at himself using the reflection in the water. He stared and studied hard his face and his hands and everything. What has he known all his life and how has a few words shaped his new identity? He wanted to know so much but his only source at the moment he had just killed.

His desire to look for his friends diminished from top priority to almost nothing. Now, it was all about him and him only. Selfish? Yes, but if it meant to prevent genocide of island villagers or to prohibit unexpected explosions of attacks, then he definitely had to hide himself and control his newfound powers. The origin of his hidden power, now his identity, also made him want to research his biography by any means necessary.

Jin did not sleep a wink after the fight. He watched the stars shine and stared into the immortal space. He was spared death but only because he was desperate enough to dig deep into his origins and subconsciously call upon it for the sake of living. But he even started to fear himself and the only way to overcome it is to live and control it.

At sunrise, Jin strapped the Rainbow over his right shoulder and secured it. He took one more peek at the remains of the village and walked towards a rocky shore. He then remembered that when he first fell on to the island, he heard ocean waves. Jin realized that he was merely a few footsteps away from the cliff and that Rena purposely drugged him to lure him away from running away from their meeting. Clever, Jin thought, and it nearly worked. Rena knew who he was just by touching his forehead and had probably felt an uneasy magical circulation running in Jin's veins.

Jin reached the cliff and watched the ocean waves crash onto the rocky shore. Jin thought of jumping but wanted to spare any potential injury. Instead, he called upon his lightning serpent-bird Quetzalcoatl. Claps of thunder and flashes of lightning displayed in front of the sunny weather and the beast cried out. It lowered its elevation so that Jin can hop on and awaited its master's orders.

"Let's go," Jin said as Quetzalcoatl flapped its magnificent wings and released small jolts of electricity as a side effect. The two soared through the endless sky high above what the naked human eye can see. The summoned beast put up a small electric screen to enable Jin to breathe and not freeze above the atmosphere.

While riding on Quetzalcoatl's back, Jin could not help but to remember the last words that came out of Rena's mouth. What he learned during that fight was something he needed to ponder upon before coming out into the public and reuniting with his friends. He wanted to see Tessa, but not the way he was now. He was scared at what Tessa may think. He was scared at what Rena had said. He was scared ever since Rena had confessed that Jin is the Ultimate WEAPON.

-Fin-


	12. Endnotes

(1) Foley was Jin's former enemy in his first adventure. However, as Jin got sucked into a dimension portal and entered another world, Foley also fell victim to the effects of the final battle. Foley and Jin then teamed up and worked together in the Other World to recreate a portal to go back home.

(2) Tessa is a white mage with great healing powers that surpasses all healers. Noble blood runs through her veins. She and Jin were very intimate near the end of the first adventure but Jin, confused and uncertain of himself, pushed her away continuously until he disappeared after the Great Explosion.

(3) In Jin's previous adventure from two years ago, he squared off in an emotional battle against his sister, who was injected with experimental cells for human weaponry. With his sister nearly fully overcome by the cells, he forced himself to kill her to save all humanity. However, this allowed Jin to unleash his most devastating attack.

(4) Remember Final Fantasy VII? WEAPON makes a return in this story and takes form in six different beings. The six WEAPONs are: Diamond, Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald, Omega and Ultima.


End file.
